This invention relates to automatic pill dispensers, particularly to methods and devices which may be programmed to automatically dispense predetermined quantities and preselected types of pills at preset times.
The usage of pills to regain and maintain health has increased with the advancement of medical science. It is not unusual for a person to take more than one type of pill, each type in a different amount, at regular times each day. The task of correctly taking several different types of pills pose a challenge to many individuals, especially the elderly, the mentally infirm, and the obtunded who are more susceptible to memory problems. The improper taking of pills may be detrimental to health, and many emergency hospital admissions are attributable to improper observance of pill prescriptions.
The need for a device that will automatically dispense the proper pill(s) in the proper amount(s) at the proper time(s) each day and alert the user of the device to take the dispensed pill(s) is evident by the numerous devices described in the prior art. However, there are problems with the devices described in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,606 to Lewis et al. (1986), U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,651 to Scidmore et al. (1987), U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,453 to Luckstead (1989), and 5,044,516 to Hoar (1991) describe automatic pill dispensers which have pill-storage wheels that are rotated constantly by electric clock motors. The constantly rotating pill-storage wheels of these devices successively move each pill-storage compartment of the wheel into a temporary alignment with a pill discharge outlet at a cyclical and fixed time interval. When a pill-storage compartment is in alignment with the pill discharge outlet, any pill stored in the compartment will fall by gravity through the outlet into a pill receptacle. The length of the fixed time interval of these devices cannot be changed without changing the gear drive ratio of the gear system driving the pill-storage wheel. Discharging pills at fixed time intervals makes these devices inefficient and difficult to use. For example, if one of these devices constantly rotates three pill-storage compartments past its pill discharge outlet in a 24-hour period, but only one pill is needed each day, then only one pill-storage compartment is used and two are kept empty each 24-hour day. In this case, two out of three pill-storage compartments have no use. In addition, during the process of loading pills into the pill storage wheel, specific compartments must be kept empty; this makes the loading procedure more complicated and susceptible to error.
Another problem with all of these devices is the possibility of an overdose of dispensed pills. This may result when a device dispenses pills into the pill receptacle, but the person taking the dispensed pills for some reason did not respond to the alert signal or just turned off the alert signal without taking the pills. If the dispensed pills are not removed from the pill receptacle and more pills are discharged into the receptacle, overdosing with harmful consequences may occur if the pill taker consumes all of the pills accumulated in the pill receptacle all at once.
Benaroya in U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,403 (1983), and Shaw in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,285 (1993) attempt to overcome these deficiencies. The devices of Benaroya and Shaw include pill-storage wheels which rotate into position for discharging pills only when the pills are to be dispensed. A pill is not released from Shaw""s pill-storage wheel unless a motorized mechanism is actuated to remove the pill, making an accumulation of discharged pills less likely. However, Shaw""s device is complicated, difficult to load with pills and use, and uses motors and controls which are neither simple nor economical. Pills to be dispensed by Benoroya""s device are not automatically discharged by gravity into a fixed or removable pill receptacle. The pills stay in the pill-storage wheel until the user tilts or turns the device upside down to dump out the pills. While this feature makes overdosing from an accumulation of discharged pills unlikely, the need to manipulate the device by tilting or turning it upside down and catching the pills before they fall on the floor makes its operation ackward and clumsy.
Also, all the above devices do not have a built-in secure compartment for storing the bottles of pills which are to be loaded into the pill-storage wheel. The bottles of pills need to be stored elsewhere, like a medicine cabinet, and obtained when reloading of pills is needed. The need to obtain the pills from another location is inefficient and inconvenient.
Another deficiency of all these devices is that some users, especially those suffering from senility or deterioration of mental function, may simply deactivate the pill alert signal as they would do when turning off an alarm clock, and forget to take the dispensed pills. In addition, there may be special instructions that the pill taker must follow in consuming the dispensed pills, such as taking the dispensed pills with plenty of liquids, or food, and the pill taker may forget these instructions. Also, the devices of Lewis et al. and Hoar have removable pill receptacles that must be replaced after the dispensed pills are taken, and an user may forget to replace the receptacle. Knowing when to refill the dispenser with pills is another problem with all of the devices. Also, a person monitoring the use of a dispenser must be close to the dispenser to make observations, and this could be inconvenient.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved programmable automatic pill dispenser without the deficiencies and disadvantages of the above mentioned devices; specifically, to provide a simple and reliable programmable automatic pill dispenser that has a pill-storage wheel which moves only at preset time(s), and has a built-in lockable storage compartment for bottles containing pills which are to be loaded into the pill-storage wheel. Still further objects and advantages are:
a) to provide a programmable automatic pill dispenser that reduces the possibility of the pill taker taking an improper accumulation of dispensed pills which may result in overdosing;
b) to provide a programmable automatic pill dispenser that has a system to record personal voice messages and to play these messages to coach the pill taker into properly taking the dispensed pills;
c) to provide a programmable automatic pill dispenser that has a system to alert an off-site caregiver when the pill taker has not taken the dispensed pill(s), or when there is a problem with the operation of the programmable automatic pill dispenser; and
d) to provide a programmable automatic pill dispenser that is compact, and battery operated.
Additional objects and advantages will become apparent in studying the ensuing drawings and description.
The present invention provides a system for automatically dispensing proper amount(s) of proper type(s) of pill(s) at proper time(s) each day and alerting a pill taker to consume the pills by:
1. Presetting a timer with time(s) of day that pill(s) need to be dispensed;
2. loading the compartments of a motorized pill storage-wheel with proper amount(s) and type(s) of pill(s) to be dispensed;
3. Moving the proper loaded compartment of the pill-storage wheel to align with a pill discharge outlet only when the timer arrives at each preset time;
4. Discharging the loaded pill(s) by gravity into a pill receptacle; and
5. issuing a visual and audible alarm to alert the pill taker to take the pill(s) in the pill receptacle.
The system also includes a lockable and built-in storage compartment for storing supply containers with pills that need to be dispensed, and a simple means to control the movement of the pill-storage wheel. The system may also include a system for providing voice messages to coach the pill taker on consuming the pills, a system for alerting an off-site caregiver when the pill taker has not responded as required or when there is a problem with the operation of the dispenser, and a system for alerting the need to reload the pill-storage wheel and the need to replace or recharge the battery.